Indonesia seeks death for cleric accused of ordering attacks

Radical Islamic cleric Aman Abdurrahman, center, sits in the defendant's chair during his trial in the District Court of South Jakarta in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday, May 18, 2018. Abdurrahman is accused of being the ideologist key to IS militants in Indonesia and ordered attacks that included a suicide bombing and a firearm attack in January 2016 in the capital, Jakarta, which killed four civilians and four attackers. (Tatan Syuflana / Associated Press)

by Niniek Karmini | AP by Niniek Karmini | AP May 18 at 12:37 a.m.

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesian prosecutors demanded Friday the death of radical Islamic cleric Aman Abdurrahman, accused of ordering attacks that included a suicide attack and a firearm attack in the capital Jakarta in January 2016. They killed four civilians and four attackers.

Abdurrahman, who according to police and prosecutors is a key ideologue for Islamic State militants in the world's largest Muslim nation, remained impassive as the prosecution announced the demand for sentencing before a panel of five judges. [19659009] Prosecutor Anita Dewayani's attorney said that Abdurrahman's actions had caused deaths and injuries and that there was no reason for leniency.

Abdurrahman's next hearing was scheduled for May 25. , will respond to the accusation.

"I will make my own defense," Abdurrahman told the court.

Prosecutors say that Abdurrahman's instruction From prison, where he was serving a sentence related to terrorism, there were several attacks in Indonesia, including the January 2016 attack on a Starbucks in Jakarta, an attack on a terminal in buses in the capital that killed three policemen and an attack on a church in Kalimantan that killed a 2-year-old girl.

Reflecting the extreme lack of supervision of militants in Indonesia's overcrowded prisons, Abdurrahman was able to spread radicalism and communicate with his supporters abroad through visits and video calls.

Authorities deployed dozens of elite anti-terrorist and paramilitary police to monitor Friday's hearing in the South Jakarta District Court following a wave of attacks by militants inspired by IS.

Suicide bombings on Sunday and Monday in Surabaya, the second in Indonesia – the largest city, killed 26 people, including 13 attackers. Two families carried out the attacks, using children as young as 7 years old.

Police said they were part of the same militant network in which Abdurrahman played a key role.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material can not be published, transmitted, rewritten or redistributed.